How often do general practitioners prescribe antibiotics for otitis media and the most common respiratory tract infections?

Authors

  • Jørund Straand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5324/nje.v11i1.537

Abstract

 

ABSTRACT

Objective:

 

 

Design:

 

 

Setting:

 

 

Material:

 

 

Results:

 

 

Conclusion:

 

 

Key words:

 

 

Antibiotics, general practice, diagnoses, respiratory tract infections, otitis media, pharmacoepidemiologyExcept for upper respiratory tract infection, antibiotic treatment is the rule not an exception, for

all the diagnoses studied. In general practice, improved communication- and prescribing-skills are probably

essentials for implementing a more evidence based treatment of otitis media, and the common respiratory

tract infections. The significance of patient related factors for seeing a GP (or not) and for (not) expecting

antibiotics for otitis media and the common respiratory tract infections should be explored in future research.

Antibiotics were issued during 57% of all contacts for the included diagnoses, ranging from 22%

(upper respiratory tract infection) to 91% (tonsillitis). All patients who had first time office consultations for

tonsillitis, acute bronchitis and pneumonia, were prescribed antibiotics. One out of three patients who consulted

the doctor on the telephone for these diagnoses, were also prescribed an antibiotic.

8610 physician-patient contacts, and 4909 antibiotic prescriptions for otitis media, upper respiratory

tract infection, tonsillitis, sinusitis, acute bronchitis, and pneumonia.

Cross sectional, multipractice study.GPs in the Norwegian county of Møre & Romsdal. Data were recorded during two months.To examine how frequently general practitioners actually prescribe antibiotics for patients

contacting them for otitis media, and the most common respiratory tract infection diagnoses, – by the type of

doctor-patient contact during prescribing, and patients' age and sex.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2009-11-06

How to Cite

Straand, J. (2009). How often do general practitioners prescribe antibiotics for otitis media and the most common respiratory tract infections?. Norsk Epidemiologi, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.5324/nje.v11i1.537

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 1 (2001): Pharmacoepidemiolandy (Volume 11, No. 1, 3- 117).

Section

Articles

License

Norsk Epidemiologi licenses all content of the journal under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) licence. This means, among other things, that anyone is free to copy and distribute the content, as long as they give proper credit to the author(s) and the journal. For further information, see Creative Commons website for human readable or lawyer readable versions.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).